SHOULD Liverpool complete the signing of Danish international
defender Daniel Agger, they will be acquiring 'one of the biggest
talents in European football' - says Danish journalist Lars
Mathiasen.

The Reds hope to capture the signing of the 21-year-old in the next
24 hours and Mathiasen says he is the perfect man to bolster their
defence.

"Agger is a fantastic player, a real talent. He's a
strong, athletic defender and has a big future ahead of him," said
Mathiasen.

Agger, who at 6ft 3ins tall is similarly built to Sami Hyypia, has
set the Danish league alight over the past two years.

The Copenhagen-born stopper made his debut for hometown club
Brondby in July 2004, having been promoted from the youth team. He
quickly established him self in the first team and at the end of 2004
was voted as the Danish league's 'Talent of the Year'
(Danish equivalent of PFA Young Player of the Year).

His rise through the ranks led to several under-21 caps for Denmark
and a full international debut in a friendly against Finland in June
last year.

Following Brondby's 2004/2005 league title win, he starred in
Denmark's friendly defeat of England in August.

After making Wayne Rooney look distinctly average, Agger came under
the spotlight of Europe's top clubs and hasn't been out of it
since.

Despite sustaining a knee ligament injury shortly after the England
game, Agger earned himself a second 'Talent of the Year'
award.

Agger's foot-balling progress has been rapid since his Brondby
debut. But Mathiasen knows that he is far from the finished article.

He said: "Agger can be very rash. He got a lot of red cards in
his early career. He used to dive in a lot and make mistakes, as all
young defenders do.

"He's a very physical player and it was a worry in
Denmark that unless he controlled his challenges he wouldn't
develop further.

"But Tom KAhlert (Brondby's youth coach) was fantastic
with him and really helped nurture him and erase most of that part of
his game. He can still be rash, but it is a lot less often now."

Off the pitch, Mathiasen insists, Agger is a quiet boy with just
one indulgence: "He loves his tattoos. It is well reported in
Denmark that he regularly visits the tattoo parlour to look at new
designs and get them done. I think he may have a sponsorship deal with
one tattoo parlour to have their logo on his body somewhere!"

Mathiasen, who works for the Tipsb-ladet football magazine, says
Agger has a somewhat eccentric streak, but high lights his confidence on
the pitch as his most distinctive attribute.

"I've never seen anyone so young play with the confidence
he does. It is as though he isn't phased by anything.

"He is completely fearless of whoever he comes up against. It
is very refreshing to see in a young defender. But he has every reason
to be confident.

"He's fast, good in the air and on the ball, is ambitious
and has a drive to succeed. He could become one of the future stars of
the English Premier League."

CAPTION(S):

YOUNG STAR: ' Daniel Agger, who is set to join Liverpool, has
been hailed as one of the biggest talents in European football.

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